CREATING AN INVENTORY OF THE GEODIVERSITY OF THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA AND ISLE ROYALE

Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale exhibit remarkable geodiversity. We have broadly classified this diversity into five main geothemes: 1) Mesoproterozoic rift zone/hotspot, 2) redbed rift-filling sediments, 3) the Keweenaw fault, 4) continental glaciation, and 5) Lake Superior. While this is a broad classification, diversity of features within each of these themes expands from the macro to micro scale.

Over the past five years we have connected with a growing community of colleagues, both nationally and internationally, to advance geoheritage and geoconservation in our region and within the United States. Our efforts focus greatly on education and interpretative programs of the local geology as well as the cultural history. A significant component of our outreach is vested in the development of a website that hosts information and location details for an inventory of hundreds of geosites we have identified in our area (www.geo.mtu.edu/KeweenawGeoheritage).

Recognizing that geosites have varied uses, sensitivities, and threats we wish to tauten our inventory to identify sites that best serve educational and touristic purposes. To eliminate personal bias in selecting these sites, we employ a method of inventorying and assessment developed by Brilha (2015) that provides a numerical evaluation of the value and degradation risk of geosites.

Our efforts to identify and quantify the top geosites in our area for education and touristic use serves numerous purposes: 1) increased Earth science literacy among a broader public, 2) deepened community connection to abiotic nature, 3) promotion of geotourism in our region, 4) identification of geosites in need of conservation and protection, and 5) identification of key geosites to include in a proposal for Global Geopark designation.

Brilha, J. (2015) Inventory and Quantitative Assessment of Geosites and Geodiversity Sites: a Review. Geoheritage, published online 15 January.